Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 79 – Lines in the Snow
Woz was currently overlooking several fallen Atlesian Knights, though around him was black specks of dust as he had just gotten done dealing with a Grimm attack. He then drew out his book and opened it up as images of past events filled the pages as usual.
"As it is written in this book, recent graduate Sougo Tokiwa embarks on a path which will lead him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O," Woz narrated as he looked around, "Returning to Remnant with Miss Rose, they have worked together with General Ironwood up to this point to complete the Amity Project. Mantle is under siege but evacuations to Atlas are underway, alongside two traps being sprung for both currently known enemies. However the Time Jackers still lurk and with Miss Rose reclaiming her Rider gear… the future looks uncertain."
Remnant – Mantle Streets
"Woz!" Tsukuyomi called out as she hurried over, having reverted back to her base form after a while of using Agito Armor, "I take it you've dealt with things here?"
"I have," Woz said as he walked over, "I take it you've done well on your end Young Tsukuyomi."
"Thanks to Sougo's Semblance," Tsukuyomi admitted.
The two suddenly turned when they heard a roar, a Megoliath being tossed away and slamming into the ground as the Geiz Unit came into view. The Geiz Unit slammed its foot into the Megoliath's head before dusting off its hands as the Grimm before it disintegrated.
"Okay, that should be the last of them," Geiz said before his unit turned, soon seeing his allies, "There you two are."
"Excellent work Geiz," Woz complimented as he walked over to the Time Mazine with Tsukuyomi.
"Are we finally clearing out the Grimm?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Not by a long shot," Geiz said as the Geiz Unit looked up, "While they're thinning out there's still plenty left. Not to mention we still need to evacuate people to Atlas."
"We should be on guard," Woz stated as he had caught a glimpse behind the Geiz Unit and pointed, the machine alongside Tsukuyomi turning.
Several Teryx were flying downwards towards them in order to pile on the Time Mazine while also swooping up anyone nearby. Of course what seemed to make things worse was a Giant Nevermore suddenly joining the group.
"Wait," Geiz called as he got a sudden reading on his machine and had its cameras zoom in before seeing something on top of the Nevermore, "Something's off with that Nevermore."
"What?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"REJOICE!" Woz declared as he already knew what was on top of the Nevermore.
Sougo was currently on the Giant Nevermore's back, Heisaber stabbed into it enough for him to use it to brace. He was still in Decade Armor but had swapped to its base state before bringing out the Faiz Ridewatch, slotting it in.
[FINAL FORM TIME! F-F-F-FAIZ!]
[START UP!]
As soon as Zi-O accessed the form he pressed the button on his Axel Watch, the entire world blurring and becoming bright all around him. He stabbed deeply into the Nevermore before moving forward and slashing through its neck as he jumped off, soon initiating his finisher as the Grimm dissolved from the lethal blows.
[F-F-F-FAIZ FINAL ATTACK TIME BREAK!]
Suddenly red drills of energy appeared around all of the Teryx, each one getting struck through one by one in rapid succession. The finisher had only taken a few seconds at most as the Teryx were unable to react to Zi-O's high levels of speed.
[DEFORMATION]
Zi-O soon landed in his standard Decade Armor, landing on his knee as he had ended up near his friends.
"It is he who will surpass all Riders! The ruler of time, traveling beyond time and space to reign over past and future… His name is Kamen Rider Zi-O," Woz declared as he held a hand out, "And he has just obtained his Semblance from the world of Remnant."
"Ooh, a Rejoice for my Semblance?" Zi-O asked while Geiz and Tsukuyomi merely sighed at this. Zi-O hurried over in an excitable manner, "Thanks Woz!"
"No, thank you my Overlord," Woz gave a smile, "For it is thanks to your Semblance that we were able to get a handle on the situation."
"Speaking of, it looks like we've still got a long ways to go," Zi-O admitted, "But I think we can do it."
"There's still the Time Jackers," Geiz pointed out, "They haven't made any moves since the Yummies Woz and I faced. Something's up, and I don't like that they've been this discreet about it."
"Right, just what are they after?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"I am uncertain, however Miss Rose felt the same concern," Woz said, "I've given her back her Driver and Ridewatches upon her request."
"Ruby asked for them back?" Zi-O asked, giving a grimace beneath his helmet, "We need to be on guard then."
Remnant – Atlas Academy
After dealing with Watts and getting him temporarily locked up, Ironwoods first stop was to get his arm temporarily treated. The medical experts warned that he might not have movement in that arm for a good while alongside it possibly being damaged permanently. Regardless they did their best to wrap it up while putting it in a sling. He was currently making his way to his office with Watts' briefcase, wanting to examine what was inside personally.
On the way to the elevators he was passing by a soldier who was on patrol.
"Sir," The Soldier turned towards him with a salute, "Do you need any help?"
"I'll be fine, I'm just heading to my office," Ironwood said in a tired voice as he walked over to the elevator and pressed a button, entering it before it closed and rose to the top floor.
The Soldier gave a frown as he noticed the briefcase seemed to move slightly, as if something was inside. Ironwood also seemed exhausted mentally at that point, probably from his injury and confrontation. The Soldier took off his helmet to reveal that he was Daiki, soon opening up an Aurora Curtain before having it slide over himself to take him somewhere else.
Ironwood meanwhile slowly but made his way to his office, the doors opening as he heard and incoming transmission from Clover.
"We have Tyrian Callows in custody."
Those words allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief, it was over. He had managed to catch Salem's agents before they could do much harm to his kingdom. And once everything was sorted with the evacuations he could figure out where to go from there. His relieved smile turned to an expression of horror as he saw his desk, dropping the suitcase as he stepped forward to inspect what was now placed on his desk.
Winter was currently escorting the students that were at the transports to the academy, "All students are to remain indoors until further notice. Faculty and upperclassmen can provide gui-"
BEEP
Winter cut herself off as she went to answer her communicator.
"Schnee," Ironwood said in a serious tone.
Winter raised an eyebrow, "Yes, sir?"
"Was anyone caught trying to enter the school grounds while I was away?" Ironwood asked.
"N-No," Winter stuttered as her eyes widened, turning towards the school.
"Are. You. Sure?" Ironwood stressed.
Winters eyes widened as she quickly took off sprinting, Ironwood giving her new instructions due to the severity of the current situation.
"Still afraid, I see," Cinder said as she was inside the Academy, watching from a window, "Now show me where you've been hiding her."
Penny had also been contacted, the Protector of Mantle changing course from patrolling the skies of Mantle to instead heading towards Atlas. The Ace-Ops were also informed via Harriet in order to round up Teams RWBY and JNR alongside the remaining Ace-Ops sans Clover and meet with Ironwood in his office. Jaune had suggested that his team grab Oscar so he was also aware of what's going on and so they split off from the group.
It wasn't long before Team RWBY alongside Harriet, Marrow, Vine and Elm walked into Ironwood's office. He was sitting in his chair, facing away from them.
"General Ironwood," Harriet spoke up.
"We have made a critical error," Ironwood turned in his chair, placing a queen chess piece on his desk, "The Black Queen was the symbol Salem showed us before we lost everything. Her way of telling us she was inside. That it was too late. We stopped Watts. We stopped Callows, but someone was here. They put this in my office to tell me that-" he paused as a look of realization hit him, and then he began to panic, "What if Mantle was just a distraction? What if it was just to draw us away from the academy to, to-"
"Sir," Weiss spoke up, "I-It's going to be okay. We've got Mantle on our side now, and-"
"How do we know that wasn't part of their plan?" Ironwood asked as he stood up, his paranoia continuing to take hold, "How do we know they didn't want us to bring people into Atlas by the thousands?"
"In trying to save everyone, we left ourselves most vulnerable," Vine spoke up.
"Salem has been one step ahead of us this entire time!" Ironwood called out in frustration as he slammed his fist down on the desk, denting it. The impact had caused Watts' suitcase to bounce alongside the chess piece, the piece rolling over as its intricate design now made sense with the sound it made.
"It's… glass," Ruby said as she realized the only person that could have made this chess piece, "Black glass. This was Cinder."
"She's alive?" Yang asked in surprise, "And she's here?!"
"If Cinder's here, then, for all we know, Hazel's here, too!" Ironwood called out.
"Sir, this isn't over yet. We're with you," Blake spoke up, trying to reassure him.
Ironwood however slowly stood up, "Are you really sure that all of you are with me?"
"Excuse me?" Blake asked.
"Sir…?" Vine asked.
"How did Robyn know about the Global Communications Project?" Ironwood asked in a dangerous tone, though he was already guessing as to how, "You know I was blind to not see it, and you are as well. I should have known something was up when there had been no significant process whatsoever in creating new Kamen Riders. Team Zi-O are setting us up, they've been leaking information and-"
"We told her," Yang suddenly spoke up, wanting to keep Sougo and his friends in the clear for now at least, "The night of the ambush."
As if reacting to the conversation, something inside of Watts' briefcase began to move, pushing against the bag as if trying to get out.
"You did what?!" Elm questioned.
"We were trying to help," Yang argued.
"By going behind our backs?" Marrow asked.
"Wait," Harriet walked over to Yang, "Does that mean you let her escape?"
"Robyn is on our side!" Yang insisted, "She always has been."
"We didn't know that for sure," Ironwood spoke in a tense voice.
"None of this matters right now!" Weiss called out in frustration.
"Loyalty always matters!" Ironwood yelled out as he reached his breaking point.
Red tentacles suddenly sprung forth from the bag, startling Ironwood and forcing him to take a few steps back while aiming his remaining gun at the creature in the bag. It was a jellyfish-like Grimm known as a Seer, everyone stepping backwards and readying themselves for what was to come.
"General Ironwood," Salem's voice came from the Seer.
The Seers tentacles curled up as it emitted a high-pitched screech, its head cracking before it fell onto the floor. Black smoke began to exit from the cracked head as an apparition of Salem appeared, her voice echoing as the smoke covered most of her features.
"The brave Huntsmen and Huntresses bested Arthur Watts. Congratulations," Salem gave a smile.
The four members of Team RWBY could only look up at Salem. Normally they would hold some fear seeing their enemy like this, but after learning of Oma Zi-O, and facing his power firsthand, the most this did was send chills up their spines.
"We stopped Tyrian, too. And we'll stop Cinder, and anyone else you try to send here," Ruby said in a confident tone.
"Dear girl, their goal was never victory," Salem explained, "It was merely to set the stage."
"For what…?" Ironwood asked as he kept his gun trained on the apparition.
"For me," Salem turned to face him with a smile as her ghostly form drifted over to him, "Time isn't on your side, James. It's always been on mine. The people of Atlas have suffered enough. Surrender the Staff and the Lamp to me, and they needn't suffer any further."
"That's… not going to happen," Ironwood said slowly as he lowered his gun, keeping as stone faced as possible as he tried to keep from showing weakness towards his enemy.
"Simply accept the futility of your situation…" Salem said as her ghostly form leaned forward and gave a gentle smile, "And this can all be over."
"We've seen what you're capable of. The lamp showed us," Ruby spoke up causing Salem's smile to disappear and turn towards her. The Leader of Team RWBY was slightly nervous speaking to Salem but after dealing with everything she had to go through, it was easier than she thought once she got going. Even if Salem's full attention was on her now, "It showed us everything. We've seen that you can't be killed. But we've also seen you fail. We don't have to kill you to stop you. And we will stop you."
Salem waited for Ruby to finish, raising an eyebrow before she realized who Ruby was and smiled, "Your mother said those words to me."
"My… mother…?" Ruby asked as she lost her confident expression, suddenly tears began to fall from her eyes as the memory she called on of her mother changed due to the weight of Salem's words. The background changing to a more dreary location as Ruby tried to keep from breaking down on the spot.
"She was wrong, too," Salem said.
"You're right. I was wrong."
Everyone, even Salem, suddenly paused as Ruby had to take a step back from the new voice in the room. Yang slowly turned her head as she recognized the voice almost instantly as well. An Aurora Curtain appeared off to the side as Summer stepped out of it.
Yang and Ruby could only stare in shock and silence as Summer Rose was now right before their very eyes. Words couldn't describe how they were feeling at the moment, the two instinctually moving over to each other and holding onto each other as they tried to keep from collapsing.
"Mo… Mom…?" Yang managed to speak.
Summer flashed an apologetic smile towards the two before looking back at Salem and approaching her with a fierce expression.
"You…" Salem hissed out as she narrowed her eyes, genuinely disturbed by this sudden appearance, "When we last met… even if he…"
"Oh you left her in pretty bad shape, for sure," Tsukasa's voice was soon heard as he exited the Aurora Curtain, hands in his pockets as it vanished not long after he exited, "But remember I was there too. Or did you want to forget about our little fight before I got her to safety?"
"And you…" Salem narrowed her eyes further as her ghostly figure visibly backed up.
"I was an idiotic and foolish mother for doing what I did," Summer admitted as she kept her eyes locked with Salem, "I was wrong because I was alone back then. I realize now more than ever that if there is any way at stopping you, it has to be by working together."
"You mentioned having all the time in the world," Tsukasa added, "However things have been moving on their own without you for quite some time, so much so that you aren't as in control as you think. If you really are coming personally to Atlas, then you better be prepared."
"Such insolence…" Salem gave a low growl as her ghostly form faded away, the Seer Grimm dissolving fully.
Weiss and Blake quickly hurried over to Ruby and Yang who kept holding each other, the two helping the sisters brace and keep standing.
Summer took a deep breath and gave a sigh before giving a nervous look over to her two daughters. She couldn't help but be frozen in fear given the fact that she had appeared so suddenly like that. But when Daiki had mentioned Ironwood's current state and something in Watts' bag, she knew that she and Tsukasa had to be ready for a last minute assist.
Ironwood was currently staring at Summer and Tsukasa, unsure what to say. He knew who Summer was at least, after all he knew Qrow and as a result knew about Team STRQ. Her appearing after all these years missing though…
"Um, was that Salem? And who are these two?" Marrow asked as he gestured at the two in front of them, "How did they even show up out of nowhere?!"
"From context clues, at least on the woman's identity, Miss Rose's mother," Vine spoke up.
"I think the most important thing is that Salem is apparently on her way," Harriet reminded.
"But we'd be alerted if any forces had approached the Kingdom," Elm spoke up, "We have long-range proximity alarms all along the coast, and-"
"They're offline," Vine said as he went to check his Scroll while Elm was speaking, "With all of the chaos, we didn't notice."
"Watts must have shut them down!" Marrow realized.
"Or they've already been destroyed," Ironwood said, trying to distract himself from the current swerve with Summer appearing by going back to business.
"What? All of them?" Elm asked only to receive no answer.
"You said in your speech that Amity Tower was ready to launch. Was that true?" Blake asked only to receive no response.
"No," Yang shook her head, needing to distract herself on the current situation slightly by realizing what Ironwood had done, "You just said that... to lure out Watts."
"General Ironwood?" Weiss asked, a bit concerned by the silence the General was giving.
"I sent your sister to claim the power of the Winter Maiden," Ironwood spoke up much to Weiss' horror, "When I realized we'd been compromised, I knew we couldn't wait any longer. The Staff and the Lamp have to be locked away."
Ruby shook her head, needing to distract herself as well, "Sir, that's not going to be able to happen."
"Of course you'd oppose me on this," Ironwood gave a soft chuckle as his voice rose in anger, "Because you lied to me about the Lamp. You lied to us about Robyn, and now Salem is right on our doorstep. Mantle is now nearly destroyed, while myself and my army are left exhausted!"
Summer watched in concern as she watched Ironwood lash out and slam Watts' bag away.
"Sir, with all due respect you should calm down and think rationally," Summer spoke up to try and ease the situation, "Especially before you make your next decision. You do not need to push people away because of a few lies, especially those who have access to plenty of allies who can help you win this coming battle so long as you allow it."
"Allies I know nothing about from people who have trampled on my trust," Ironwood answered, clearly not budging, "It's just an empty promise that will only have me drop my guard further. The timeline has changed, and so we must change accordingly."
"What are our orders, sir?" Harriet asked as she stood at attention.
"We are going to take our plan for Amity Tower and apply it to the city of Atlas," Ironwood said as he took the chess piece in his hand and crushed it, letting the shattered glass fall.
Ruby's eyes widened when she realized what that meant, "What?!"
"It was Oz's plan in a former life. But he didn't take it far enough," Ironwood explained, "If we harness the power of the Staff, and raise ourselves high into the atmosphere, the city's artificial climate will keep citizens and food supplies unharmed. Always out of reach of whatever Salem may try to send our way."
"Are you insane?!" Summer questioned.
"We're nowhere near finished evacuating everyone!" Blake argued, "You'd be leaving Mantle to die."
"Yes… I would," Ironwood answered as he kept his neutral tone.
"And if we had a way to bypass the need for transports? Have a way to get everyone up here near immediately?" Tsukasa asked, "I can provide that."
"There is no time, no matter the method to try and argue this," Ironwood said as he was muting all reason so he could to go through with his hastily made plan, "There is no telling how many agents of Salem are here besides Cinder and Hazel. She could have more, and every citizen we continue to let in from Mantle to Atlas carries that risk."
"You can't trust the Kamen Rider's to get the job done?" Tsukasa asked, "I know Sougo, and we know plenty of people who could help out and make all of your concerns a non-issue."
"Like I could expect results from someone who's given me none," Ironwood answered, "As far as I'm concerned I've been wasting time with that child. So the only Kamen Riders that have Atlas' best interests in mind are the ones I can create and control."
"Are you serious?" Summer stepped back, "This is what this is all about?"
"Regardless we can't allow Salem to capture the Relics," Ironwood said as he continued on in his ramblings, "So I'll proceed with the plan I've already enacted once I realized we were compromised. That means getting the Staff, the Lamp, and the Maiden as far away from Salem as possible."
"You alongside Salem would only be getting one Relic in the end, the Lamp we brought was a fake to ensure that Salem could never get it," Ruby spoke up, her words managing to get a visible annoyed reaction from Ironwood. Despite this she continued, "Tsukasa's right, we have plenty of allies, if we hunker down and defend while working to launch the tower we can reestablish global communications and call for more backup."
"And have them get slaughtered when they can't even kill Salem," Ironwood said as he holstered his gun, "The hope of Atlas rests in the hands of the Kamen Riders I will create to stop Salem once and for all."
"Are you even listening to yourself right now?" Yang asked.
"Sometimes, doing the right thing means making tough decisions," Ironwood continued as he walked over to Team RWBY.
"You're right," Blake answered, "And I think the right thing to do would be to stand our ground."
"Me too," Yang agreed.
"Me too," Weiss gave a nod.
"Me too," Ruby added before looking back at the Ace-Ops to see their reactions. It was somewhat expected but she was still a little surprised to see that they were either hesitant like Marrow, showed no expression like Vine, or were Elm and Harriet who didn't seem amused in the slightest.
"We ran ourselves ragged trying to save Mantle tonight," Harriet admitted, "We try that again against an even larger force-"
"But you're Huntsmen and Huntresses!" Yang called out in frustration, "You can't just back down from a fight!"
"You can't focus on one single fight while trying to win a war," Vine reminded.
"I feel like you're forgetting the Kamen Riders," Tsukasa spoke up only to get elbowed in the ribs gently by Summer who shot him a glare.
"Yeah and there's no telling how many of you there actually are and whether or not you can actually stop an invasion," Harriet remarked.
"What's the council going to say?" Weiss asked, trying to get things back on track but also address the elephant in the room, "You can't possibly think they'd be alright with this?"
"They will be," Ironwood said, "Once I declare Martial Law."
"No…" Weiss trailed in near shock.
"What about Robyn?" Blake asked.
"Who exactly are you loyal to?" Elm asked back.
"We're loyal to the people counting on us to save them!" Ruby called out.
"We are saving who we can," Ironwood spoke to Ruby who turned to face him, "And you're standing in our way."
The tense moment was interrupted as Ruby's Scroll suddenly pinged, a call with Jaune coming through.
"It's Jaune! We've got a serious problem!"
Ruby's eyes widened when she heard this and suddenly realized that Oscar was a high priority target due to having the fake Lamp on him. She glanced over to Ironwood who took a step towards her and removed his hand from his back. Before Ironwood could even do anything Ruby used Petal Burst to split into two and slide behind his desk while taking cover.
"Ironwood's declaring Martial Law and abandoning Mantle!" Ruby called out as she opened a communications channel to everyone on the network, "Salem is coming, and he's going to use the Staff to move Atlas. If we don't stop him, then Mantle's going to be destroyed…"
Ruby trailed off slightly when a beep was heard as she was suddenly locked out of the communications network. Ironwood had pressed a button on his Scroll, having installed a kill switch for the communications network onto his new allies' Scrolls before they were handed out. He expected Ruby to panic but was surprised when she continued to speak.
"…Sougo, communications just got cut off, but I know I managed to get enough of the message out. I didn't want it to come to this but we need to stop Ironwood," Ruby said as she stood up, revealing that she had a Faizphone X up to her mouth as she had called Sougo on it as well, "My team's going to be occupied, but I need you to help with what Jaune needed and also to try and find Weiss' sister who's on her way to claim the Winter Maiden's powers. Cinder's also here and that means the Maiden situation is about to get volatile really fast."
"Understood," Sougo answered from the other line, the speaker being on so that they could hear him, "I wanted to try and believe in him, but I guess we were right to be wary and guarded if this is his solution to Salem arriving."
"You were prepared to turn against me the entire time?" Ironwood asked.
"We really didn't want to, we wanted to give you a chance," Ruby answered as she hung up and stared directly at Ironwood, "But given our reception and general state of the Kingdom…" she shook her head, "Know that I really didn't want it to come to this."
"If you had any sense you'd see that everything I've done has been necessary. You should have abided by my orders," Ironwood turned to exit as the Ace-Ops went to block anyone from immediately following him, "So until Atlas and the Staff is safe, all of you and your allies are under arrest. And once you are all detained you will tell me where the real Lamp is."
"You're going to find it a lot harder than you think," Ruby said, "I'm giving you a chance to walk this back so we can try to talk this out and come up with a different plan. We have the resources, we can-"
"The time for talking is over," Ironwood interrupted as he exited the room.
Remnant – Mantle
"You all heard that right?" Sougo asked as he had the Faizphone X out alongside his Scroll when Jaune and then Ruby had called. The four had dismissed their transformations for the time being to take a break since things were slowly starting to calm down. The Geiz Unit had been set off to the side, luckily despite having the other two Time Mazines parked within the city once the invasion began, they didn't need to resort to them.
"He's mad," Tsukuyomi shook her head, "He wants to abandon Mantle? Who does he think he is?"
"He's a damn dictator that's what he is," Geiz hissed out.
"Not only that, but Salem is also on her way," Woz said, "It seems Miss Rose was right to take her equipment back."
"If you ask me I think it's time we salvage this damn situation," Geiz said, "Especially before Salem gets here."
"You're right," Sougo gave a nod as he looked around at his friends while figuring out the current situation. "There are four groups to help and four of us. Woz, go find Team JNR and Oscar, make sure they're safe, and if we lose the fake Lamp then that's fine."
"Understood," Woz gave a bow.
"Tsukuyomi, try and get to Team RWBY, they're most likely at Ironwood's office," Sougo said, "I know they can handle things but they could use the extra help."
"Right," Tsukuyomi gave a nod.
"What about me?" Geiz asked as he crossed his arms.
"You need to find out where Winter is going," Sougo explained, "Ruby said Cinder is here and remember, Cinder's after the Maiden Powers. Make sure Winter stays safe."
"You really think she'll let me?" Geiz asked.
"Please Geiz," Sougo pleaded, "I don't want Weiss to lose her family, even if Winter is likely siding with Ironwood. And you know we can't let those Maiden Powers go to just anybody."
"Right, right," Geiz held up his hands, "I'll do it."
"What about you my Overlord?" Woz asked.
"I'm going to make sure Qrow's safe," Sougo said as he activated his Semblance again, looking around in the immediate area.
While a place like Atlas was too far up for him to see he was able to still see the Manta's and who was in them. He noticed a lot of the pilots and any soldiers in them were all marked as red in his vision now. He guessed it was because he thought of Atlas as the enemy now. What he did find however were two faint green spots with a red in a Manta that was circling around to head back to Atlas.
"You got a lock?" Geiz asked.
"I do," Sougo gave a nod, "So let's get going Team Zi-O!"
Everyone gave their nods before marching was suddenly heard, several Soldiers coming into view and training their weapons on the four Riders.
"Hands in the air, you're under arrest!" An Atlesian Soldier called out.
"Sorry to say but we can't do that," Sougo admitted with a smile.
"Stop smiling and put your hands in the air!" Another Soldier called out.
[TIME MAZINE!]
A sudden whirring was heard as the Woz and Zi-O Units suddenly launched into view, transforming into their robot modes and landing near the soldiers. The Atlesian Soldiers all yelled out as they were thrown away and knocked out.
"Let's get going!" Sougo said as he quickly went to hop into the Zi-O Unit, powering it up before launching it into the air, using his Semblance to find the Manta that Qrow and Robyn were in before taking off towards it.
Geiz meanwhile entered his Geiz Unit, powering it up and launching off towards Atlas. He wasn't sure exactly how to find Winter but he figured it'd be easy. If Cinder was after the Maiden Powers then her attack would be loud enough to catch his attention.
"Young Tsukuyomi, come with me, our missions are both at the Academy," Woz stated as Tsukuyomi gave a nod. The two were ready to enter the Woz Unit when someone loudly cleared their throat.
"And where do you troublemakers think you're going?" A familiar elderly voice called out as Maria approached with Pietro.
"What's going on?" Pietro asked, "We just caught the broadcast that Ruby sent out, what was she talking about before she got cut off?"
"We'll explain on the way," Tsukuyomi said as Woz went to transform the Woz Unit into its vehicle mode to allow Pietro and Maria to enter it more easily.
Remnant – Atlas Medical Facility
Penny and Winter had also ended up getting Ruby's transmission and not long after that, the Wanted Screen for Team's RWBY, JNR, Zi-O, alongside Oscar and Qrow popped up on Winter's Scroll. The two were currently in a hall in the Medical Facility, both surprised by the sudden message.
"Weiss," Winter held a concerned look towards her Scroll, "What did you do?"
"The General is leaving Mantle to perish?" Penny asked.
"He's saving Remnant," Winter sighed before walking ahead, "We can't let the Relics fall to Salem."
"But all those people we just protected, they won't survive," Penny replied.
Winter continued to walk forward, "We don't have time to-"
"That doesn't bother you?" Penny asked with a light glare before growing upset, "What about your sister? Or our friends?"
"My personal feelings don't matter. We have orders," Winter said as she turned to face Penny, "I'm to retrieve the power of the Winter Maiden so we can access the Relic. You're here to ensure my safety. Now come on. We've already lost enough time."
"It should matter," Penny said.
"Penny," Winter said as her expression softened, walking over, taking Penny's hands in her own, "The General is making hard choices so we don't have to, for the good of all, not just a few."
"I do not see what is good about any of this," Penny admitted as she pulled away and walked ahead.
"On that we can agree," Winter said before going to follow.
Remnant – Solitas Tundra
Sougo had managed to use the Time Mazine's temporal cloaking to stay out of view of any of the Mantas radars as he made his way forward via its vehicle mode. Being higher up helped in him trying to track the Manta that was currently holding Qrow. He grew concerned however the closer he got as he saw active movement from multiple parties inside. It wasn't long before the Manta began moving erratically before diving downwards into the Tundra below. Of course he noticed someone had leapt out of it to land before it crashed.
[TAKA! KUJAKU! CONDOR! TAJADOL~!]
Sougo quickly activated the Tajador Ridewatch and shifted his Zi-O Unit into its robot mode. Gaining the Tajador Watch head alongside its wings as it swooped in and grabbed the Manta by the front. Using the wings and boosters of the Zi-O Unit, Sougo managed to gently allow the Manta to land, slowly setting it down and keeping those inside safe.
"Now then…" Sougo muttered before suddenly seeing the glass of the Manta crack and shatter, Tyrian suddenly leaping at the Zi-O Unit. The machine responded to Sougo's movements as it slammed its hand into the serial killer to bat him away. Tyrian could only yell out as he was sent tumbling across the icy tundra.
"Sougo?!" Qrow and Robyn asked as they came to the front of the Manta in surprise. Both of them were bracing for a hard landing but had ended up being surprised when there was just a minor bump before they were slowly lowered.
"Sougo! Perfect timing," Clover was nearby, having been the one who had jumped ship as it was sent hurtling downwards, "Say, how about you get out of that machine and turn yourself in alongside Qrow and Robyn. We can get everything sorted out after that."
"Like hell we are," Qrow hopped onto the dashboard before leaping out of the window of the fallen Manta. He then began to step towards Clover while drawing out his weapon.
"We can agree on that," Robyn said as she went around and exited from the open side doors.
"Sounds like you could use some help Specialist," A voice said as Uhr was suddenly standing on top of the Manta.
"Uhr?!" Sougo asked in shock from his cockpit, "What are you-"
"We're finally making our move," Uhr smirked before holding out two Fullbottles with Smash Essence, letting them loose and covering the unconscious pilots with Nebula Gas. Both pilots yelled out as the gas covered them before the two transformed into Press and Stretch Smash.
The two Smash began to lumber out of the cockpit before landing on the icy tundra and moving towards both Qrow and Robyn.
"Alright, you want to do this, we'll do this!" Qrow raised his sword, ready to attack the Smash only for his leg to suddenly get hooked, tripping him over and forcing him onto the ground, "Huh?!"
"All of you are under arrest!" Clover stressed as he began to march towards them, "Do not resist."
"You damn idiot," Qrow spat out, "Are you really siding with them?"
"I plan on taking them out too," Clover said, "Don't think that I won't."
"Oh come on Specialist," Uhr whined as he gave a mock smile, "I'm trying to give you some help. After all the Atlas Military is the perfect place for us Time Jackers to help out."
"So you're one of those Time Jackers huh?" Clover asked, "I'll arrest you too then. Don't underestimate me."
"Clover you're talking to someone that is capable of more than you think," Qrow warned as he recalled Tid and figured Uhr could be just as dangerous, "Do not do this."
"If you three stand down then I can easily handle the others on my own," Clover said, "Your interference is just going to make it harder."
The Press Smash used this chance to try and slam itself onto Qrow, running towards him only to get kicked in the stomach by Robyn, forcing it to stagger back. Robyn quickly grabbed Qrow before pulling him away from the Stretch Smash that tried to close in on them.
"He's not a bad guy," Robyn admitted, "He's just an idiot in over his head."
"I could say the same about you all," Clover admitted.
"Sorry but you won't be taking anyone in," Sougo opened the hatch to the Zi-O Unit, leaping out while splitting his Zi-O II Ridewatch, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
Zi-O landed before looking around, noticing that Uhr was sitting on the Manta now. He'd have to be careful since he didn't have anyone to stop Uhr for him. Not to mention it seemed like Tyrian was currently starting to stir and get up from the smack he had received.
"What's the plan?" Qrow asked.
"Disable Clover and Tyrian at most so we can make a proper getaway," Sougo said, "I'll deal with the Smash in record time so I can help you two out."
"I'll hold you to that," Robyn smirked as she readied her Crossbow.
"Let's get this over with then," Qrow readied Harbinger in its blade mode.
Remnant – Atlas Academy, Ironwood's Office
"Please, think about what you're doing," Weiss pleaded.
"You heard the General," Harriet said as she pressed a button on her Scroll, "Until this is sorted out, you're under arrest."
The button was to initiate the emergency bunker protocol of the office, metal covers slid down over the windows to keep the group from escaping via the windows as the lights went red.
"Really…?" Yang asked with a bored stare.
"Please, don't make this difficult," Vine raised a hand forward, trying to defuse the situation.
"Don't make us have to get out of here by force," Blake said as she and the others readied their weapons.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Marrow said as he watched his fellow Ace-Ops draw out their weapons, "We're not actually going to slug this out, are we?"
"We're not doing anything," Harriet said, "They decide what happens next."
"I think we should get out of here for the time being," Tsukasa suggested as he backed away.
"I…" Summer looked at her friend before turning back to her daughters and their teammates, "Ruby… Yang…"
"We'll talk after this," Ruby said as she didn't face her mother, she promised she wouldn't try to distract herself and her emotions but this situation needed her full attention on the Ace-Ops, "Once everything settles for a bit we'll talk."
"You heard her," Tsukasa said as he grabbed Summer by her shoulder and dragged her through an Aurora Curtain, "We'll see you after you kick their asses!"
"He is seriously crude," Weiss sighed.
"Alright…" Ruby took a deep breath before hopping onto Ironwood's desk before hopping down as she walked towards her team, drawing out her Ziku Driver and placing it on her waist, "Girls it's time to stop holding back."
[ZIKU DRIVER!]
Weiss, Blake and Yang looked at each other before nodding, the latter two putting their weapons away before all three summoned their Rider Weapons. Weiss stood ready with both Myrtenaster and the Chalice Arrow, Blake held the Gashacon Sparrow up in its bow mode while Yang held both the Magma and Blizzard Knuckles.
[ROZE!]
"Henshin," Ruby called out as she slotted her Ridewatch in and spun her Driver.
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
Ruby took a deep breath as the familiar transformation occurred over her, gripping her fists once the armor fully formed. She then drew out Crescent Rose but kept it in its rifle mode.
"She has access to a transformation?" Vine asked, trying to hide the surprise on his face.
Harriet glared at this, "What?!"
"Whoa wait?" Marrow stepped back as he drew his weapon, "You can transform?"
"No way," Elm growled out, "How?!"
"I wanted to protect Remnant as a Huntress so I gave up being a Rider for a bit," Roze admitted, "But given the situation it's time to go all out and protect Remnant as Huntresses and Kamen Riders!"
Harriet began to charge up her Semblance, "Why you little-!"
Roze said nothing as she launched forward in a burst of digital rose petals, launching straight through the closed double doors and creating a hole through it by denting it. Harriet yelled out as she sped off after Roze. The other members of Team RWBY went to enter their own clashes, Yang going up against Elm, Blake against Vine and Weiss against Marrow.
Roze used Petal Burst to zoom across the foyer and up the stairs near the elevators, quickly drawing out a Ridewatch and loading it in.
Harriet gave a yell as she sped forward and around Roze, kicking at the back of Roze's head.
[ZANGETSU! WEAPON TIME! MELON DEFENDER!]
Roze quickly raised the shield to block Harriet's kick before forcing the Ace-Op's member off of her. She then took aim with Crescent Rose via one hand and shot a blast of energy at Harriet who easily flipped over it and landed while skidding back.
"Come on Harriet!" Roze called out, "The more we work against each other the more we play into Salem's goal to divide us!"
"Oh don't give me that crap!" Harriet called out, "I had you kids pegged right from the start."
Roze readied herself as she was Harriet moving forward, a bit surprised that the speedster was going for fast direct punches. She held up her Melon Defender and braced against the attacks.
Harriet managed to push the shield towards an angle before jumping off of it, slamming her leg downwards at Roze who used Petal Burst to back away.
Yang meanwhile was trying to overwhelm Elm with a flurry of punches, enhanced via her Knuckle weapons.
Elm was forced to back away as she had been forced out of the office and onto the stairs that led to it, but once they entered the foyer she used her Semblance to stand her ground before smashing her head into Yang's for a headbutt. It had managed to daze Yang long enough for Elm to slam Yang away with her hammer.
Blake flipped backwards into the foyer to avoid Vine who was using his Semblance to extend his Aura, transforming his arms into energy arms that he tried to grab and restrain Blake with.
"You've cut your movement by utilizing that weapon," Vine said as he dodged out of the way of a few arrows shot by Blake. Vine used his energy hands to grab onto a ledge before swinging them to grab at Blake who used Shadow to dodge away from them.
"You make it sound like I need my movement to beat you," Blake said as she split her weapon into its Sickle Mode.
"Because you will," Vine called out as he extended is energy hands and clasped them together, managing to catch Blake between them, gripping tightly.
Yang's eyes widened, "Blake!"
"Pay attention!" Elm yelled out as she slammed her hammer down, Yang blocking with both her Knuckles, the two weapons clashing against each other.
"If you come peacefully, we won't hurt you," Vine said as he kept Blake tightly in place.
"Speak for yourself!" Elm spat back at her partner, "They betrayed us!"
"You're betraying the people you've sworn to protect!" Blake called out before giving a wince, she still had some movement and she knew what she needed to do.
"It's not worth it Blake," Yang called out through gritted teeth, "They're just following orders now."
Elm gave a growl as she raised her hammer to slam it down on Yang again. However she was too slow as Yang dropped her Magma Knuckle, bringing out the Diamond Fullbottle before loading it into her Blizzard Knuckle.
[DIAMOND! GLACIAL KNUCKLE!]
Yang gave a yell as she slammed her fist towards Elm, the Ace-Op member giving a gasp as she barely had a chance to root herself but was forced to stop her swing. Elm then gave a loud cough as she was struck in the gut, her Aura shimmering heavily as she dropped her hammer and fell to her knee while holding her gut.
Vine's eyes widened, "Elm!"
"Now," Blake said as a clicking was heard.
[HURRICANE CRITICAL FINISH!]
Blake gave a yell as she unleashed a torrent of blue wind from her Gashacon Sparrow, the wind managing to force Vine's energy hands apart. She then gave a yell as she spun and unleashed energy slashes which tore the energy hands apart.
"What?" Vine asked with a gasp.
"We aren't just Huntresses," Blake gave a glare before leaping up into the air and swinging downwards with her sickles, "We're Kamen Riders, and being both means we won't back off easily as you think!"
Vine quickly brought out his weapon, holding it with both hands to block and brace against the attack as he was forced to step backwards. He gave a yell before spinning and throwing it at Blake who batted it away with sickles.
Blake then combined her sickles again before firing at Vine who was forced to roll and dodge as he retrieved his weapon.
Meanwhile, Weiss and Marrow were both in Ironwood's office still. While Weiss did have her Chalice Arrow, she still primarily used her Glyph's to increase her movement. By slashing with both Myrtenaster and her Rider Weapon, it allowed her to stagger Marrow more easily due to her Rider weapon's added power.
Marrow was backed against the corner and quickly utilized his weapon's boomerang function to try and force Weiss back. Unfortunately for him, all Weiss had to do was deflect it back with weapons. She stabbed into the ground and unleashed a sheet of ice before slashing forward and creating a fire wave.
Marrow had managed to leap over the fire wave, but the attack wasn't meant to hit him. It was meant to melt the ice as quickly as possible to create a sudden and temporary mist.
"I know you Schnees are used to getting what you want," Marrow said, "But it's time to let this one go!"
Weiss formed multiple Glyph's that began spitting out ice crystals at Marrow who used his boomerang to block them.
"This is my home," Weiss said.
Marrow heard Weiss' voice from the back of the office only to see movement near him. The Arma Gigas slashed downwards at Marrow who dodged before pointing at it, "Stay!"
The Armar Gigas was ready to raise its sword to attack again only for it to freeze due to Marrow's Semblance.
[DRILL! TORNADO!]
Marrow had quickly turned at the announcement before realizing he had released his control on the Arma Gigas, it raising its sword again.
Marrow dodged out of the way of the sword before pointing towards the desk, assuming Weiss was still at the back of the room. To his surprise as the mist cleared she wasn't.
[SPINNING ATTACK!]
A black drill of wind launched out from the side and struck Marrow, tearing through a good chunk of his Aura and slamming him against the wall. He was ready to move when the Arma Gigas slammed its hand forward, pinning Marrow against the wall further.
"I'm not giving it up without a fight," Weiss declared as she walked forward, having shifted positions from the back of the room to the side to confuse Marrow, "Now then."
[BIO!]
The Arma Gigas let go as Weiss held the Chalice Arrow forward, vines launching out and wrapping around Marrow to restrict his movements. She then gave a yell and used a Glyph to help her swing, swinging and slamming Marrow against the doors and denting them even further.
Marrow could only give a yell as he hit his head before groaning and falling unconscious, his Aura breaking as a result.
The defeat was heard by everyone else who was fighting, the remaining six combatants pausing as they stared towards Ironwood's office in surprise.
Harriet was the first to make a move, using her speed Semblance to launch towards Ironwood's Office, what she wasn't expecting was a flash of rose petals to pass her. She duck and rolled forward before punching with both her fists.
Roze had reformed right in front of Ironwood's Office doors, blocking the punches with the Melon Defender as she initiated her finisher.
[MELON TIME BLAST!]
Energy gathered in the Melon Defender and Roze's right boot as she pushed away from her opponent, Harriet being forced to take a step back. Roze then yelled out as she slammed her right boot directly into Harriet's gut, releasing a quick burst of energy. Harriet coughed and yelled as she was sent tumbling backwards, her Aura shimmering like crazy as she reached the bottom of the stairs that led to the foyer. Vine, Elm, Blake and Yang all stared at Harriet who lazily stood up before falling flat on her face, her Aura shattering.
"Playtime's over," Elm called out as she switched her hammer to its rocket launcher mode, planning on blowing the members of Team RWBY away.
"Elm, wait a minute!" Vine called out as he began to move towards her, he didn't need her making rash decisions.
Blake backed away in surprise before she felt herself kick something, soon looking down and seeing the Magma Knuckle near her. Yang glanced at Blake who gave a nod, the two realizing that both Ace-Op's had briefly forgotten about them in their rage and concern.
Yang had swapped the Diamond Bottle with the Dragon Bottle in the Blizzard Knuckle only to toss it with both hands at Elm to distract her, the Ace-Op batting it away before taking aim again. Yang then activated Ember Celica's guns before launching forward and speeding towards Elm. Elm kept her aim not noticing Vine getting closer but also not paying attention to Blake. Then just like that, it was over.
[DRAGON! VOLCANIC KNUCKLE!]
Blake was already behind her, using Shadow to leap up and grab the discarded Blizzard Knuckle that held the Dragon Bottle within it. She grabbed the bottle and tossed the Knuckle away before bringing out the Magma Knuckle which she had grabbed in her rush. Loading in the Dragon Bottle she then gave a yell as she slammed her weapon into Elm's upper back, a fiery dragon being unleashed as she slammed the Ace-Ops member into the ground.
Elm fell with a hard grunt, her Aura shattering before she fully fell unconscious.
"Elm!" Vine called out in surprise before bringing out his energy hands and extending them to grab Blake.
"Hey you should really watch where you step," Yang called out from nearby.
Vine turned with a light gasp, seeing Yang crouched near him and pounding the ground with Ember Celica before leaping back. Vine looked down and saw the stick grenades that Yang had been using and quickly jumped up. But it was too late.
Yang had initiated the sticky grenades detonation sequence and they all exploded just as he jumped up, catching him in an explosive burst with rubble shooting upwards. Vine could only give a groan as he fell onto his back, his Aura shattering as he fell unconscious.
The members of Team RWBY stared at their fallen opponents for a couple of seconds before getting back to work. They grabbed the restraining bolas off of each Ace-Ops before binding them with the bolas while dragging them all to the center of the foyer.
"We need to stop Ironwood," Roze said as she carried Harriet over to a spot before dropping her on the ground, "If he can't access the Relic, he can't move Atlas."
"We just have to get to the Winter Maiden," Weiss said.
"Blake and I will look for the others," Yang suggested.
"Problem, our Scrolls don't work and I only have one Faizphone X with me," Roze replied, "I think we should leave things to Sougo for now."
PING
Everyone paused and turned slowly towards the elevators, Pietro, Maria and Tsukuyomi all rushing out and looking around. Tsukuyomi was out of her transformation but had her Faizphone X out, looking around hastily before spotting everyone. The three could only stare in surprise at seeing all of the Ace-Ops sans Clover beaten and on the ground.
"Oh!" Pietro gave a gasp.
"Oh…" Tsukuyomi trailed when she saw all four members just staring at them, "I suppose with Ruby back to being a Rider this would make sense."
"This is the part where they ask for our help," Maria sighed.
"Like you weren't going to after what I told you," Tsukuyomi sighed.
"You all could use some more help," Tsukasa said as an Aurora Curtain appeared nearby Team RWBY, the Rider exiting it alongside Summer.
"Getting out of here is top priority right?" Summer asked, "We can help you fight your way out."
Roze chose not to make eye contact with her mother but gave a nod regardless, "We'd appreciate it."
Remnant – Solitas Tundra
Zi-O was currently dealing with the two Smash, dodging and blocking their strikes before counterattacking with the Saikyo Girade. Thankfully these Smash were the weakest variants of the Press and Stretch Smash's, so he was forcing them back and damaging them with ease.
Qrow and Robyn on the other hand were having a lot of trouble when it came to their fights. Mostly thanks to Clover's stubborn refusal to focus on the escaped convict first while Tyrian took full advantage. Robyn was trying to focus down Tyrian while keeping away from him, though that turned into Tyrian trying to mess with both Qrow and Clover. And despite Qrow's attempts to attack Tyrian, Clover kept getting in the way with his fishing hook. It took a bit of getting in close and personal and using her explosive bolts, but Robyn eventually managed to force Tyrian to back off.
"You know you're getting real annoying," Tyrian hissed out as he lunged forward to slash at Robyn who backed up, unleashing another explosive bolt to force Tyrian back further.
"Yeah well looks like I get to kick your ass myself!" Robyn gave a smirk.
"Unfortunately with all your teammates occupied you're mine to kill," Tyrian cackled maniacally as he used his tail to bounce upwards, launching towards Robyn and clawing at her.
Robyn dodged out of the way and several bolts towards Tyrian who batted them away with his tail.
Clover shifted his fishing pole to where it was fully extended, entering a clash with Qrow who slashed with his sword.
"I enjoyed working with you," Clover admitted, "Even with that endless cynicism of yours."
"I'm usually proven right," Qrow remarked.
"We don't have to fight, friend," Clover said, trying to calm Qrow down.
"You don't know my friends," Qrow scoffed and flashed a bitter smile, "That's how it always goes."
"This ends now," Zi-O said as he switched from the Rider Face to the Best Face on his blade.
[ZI-O SAIKYOU! HAOU GIRI!]
Zi-O reeled his sword back to slash forward only for his body to freeze completely. His body became static filled as he was unable to move, "Time… Jacker…"
"How about you sit back and watch," Uhr smirked as he held his hand out, "Go!"
The Stretch and Press Smash's both slammed their arms into Zi-O, sending the Rider to the ground. Before Zi-O could even get up he was frozen again by Uhr. The Press and Stretch Smash's soon yelled out before rushing to get in the way of the fights. The Press Smash ramming both Qrow and Clover to the ground while the Stretch Smash sent out two energy tendrils from its shoulders, using them to smack Robyn away.
"Oh my…" Tyrian gave an excitable squeal as he saw the Smash and its capabilities, inching towards it, "Just what is this beautiful thing of destruction?"
"You like it?" Uhr asked as he was now behind Tyrian, "Impress me and my group and we can grant you power like that."
"Power like that?" Tyrian asked with a giggle before shaking his head, "No, no, no… but I could never turn against my Goddess."
"Then maybe we could make a deal with her," Uhr smiled.
"Like hell you are," Robyn called out as she took aim only for the Stretch Smash to run over and grab onto her. Robyn gave a yell as she kicked the Smash in the stomach before unleashing explosive bolt after explosive bolt against its face.
The Stretch Smash yelled out as it was forced back by the attacks, extending its tendrils again and lashing out at Robyn. Robyn could only yell out as she was thrown backwards, her Aura flickering as she rolled against the ground.
Clover and Qrow had quickly gotten up, the two dodging and trying to force the Press Smash back. Qrow gave a yell and sent a slash at the Press Smash which simply smacked Harbinger away. The resulting smack sent it flying to where it embedded itself in the snow near Tyrian and Uhr who took notice.
Clover went to trip the Press Smash up with his fishing rod, bringing out his bolas and launching them at Qrow.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Qrow called out as he was caught by the bolas and landed on the ground.
"I told you that I'd arrest all of you," Clover said before giving a gasp as two energy tendrils smacked into him, shattering his Aura and sending him to the ground. The Stretch Smash had gotten bored with Robyn before moving onto Clover who was still actively fighting.
Zi-O gave a grunt as he was released from the Time Stop, realizing that Uhr had only caught him in a minor one to keep him from interfering too much. His eyes widened however at what was going on, quickly scrambling to his feet.
"Why can't you just do the right thing instead of the thing you were told?!" Qrow asked as he struggled against his bindings.
"Sometimes the right decision is the hardest to make, I trust James with my life!" Clover called out with a light groan as he began to shakily stand, "I wanted to trust you-GUH!"
Harbinger suddenly struck Clover from behind, stabbing straight through his back and coming out of his stomach. Blood completely coated the upper half of the weapon as Clover bent back in pain. Qrow, Robyn and Zi-O could only stare in shock at this.
Tyrian chuckled and pulled the sword from his victim's body. Clover could only stumble forward, blood dripping onto the snow and his clover pin falling from his shirt.
Tyrian stepped back and rested the sword on his shoulder, "Doesn't look like your friend's going to make it."
Qrow yelled out in anguish and anger as he glared, "I'LL KI-"
SMASH
Reality suddenly shattered around everyone in an instant before fading to black.
"Why can't you just do the right thing instead of the thing you were told?!" Qrow asked as he struggled against his bindings.
"Sometimes the right decision is the hardest to make," Clover said before holding his head and shaking it, he quickly held his chest in a panic, "I wait… what?"
[JU!]
Zi-O's yell cut off Clover's questions as he ran forward with the Zikan Girade in its gun mode, firing off several shots at Tyrian who was rushing towards Clover as well.
Tyrian yelped as Harbinger was shot out of his hands, giving a growl only to wince as Zi-O quickly closed the distance, his face being slammed into by Zi-O's armored fist.
"You aren't killing him," Zi-O said in a surprisingly serious tone as he stood up straight, reminding himself that Tyrian was also responsible for the murder of the civilians at Robyn's party alongside all the other murders, "I would never forgive myself if you ended up killing another person you monster…"
"He reversed time?" Uhr gave a light gasp as he backed up, feeling a dangerous Aura from Zi-O. He backed up further before running off and vanishing, not willing to mess with Zi-O in this state.
Clover meanwhile began to hyperventilate as despite being saved he was starting to have flashes from the previous timeline once he felt that he had died. He fell to his knees before falling unconscious from the shock.
Qrow's eyes widened, "Clover!"
"Was I too sloppy this time?" Zi-O turned in surprise before turning back to the enemies that were still around, "No matter…"
The Press and Stretch Smash both gave yells before charging at Zi-O from the side, the Rider tossing his weapon away before bringing out the Saikyou Girade.
[ZI-O SAIKYOU! HAOU GIRI!]
Zi-O spun and slashed, multi-colored energy cutting through both Smash before they reached him. The two could only groan out before falling over and exploding, the Nebula Gas dispersing to reveal the two fallen pilots.
"Now then," Zi-O turned towards Tyrian, walking slowly but surely towards his opponent.
Tyrian gave a yell and leapt up into the air, spinning and slamming his tail down at Zi-O. To his surprise the Rider merely caught the mechanical tail with ease before slamming him into the ground. He then gave a gasp and a shriek as Zi-O planted his foot on his butt.
Zi-O gave a yell as he pulled on Tyrian's tail, managing to snap it in half, venom spewing out. Zi-O crushed and threw the piece he was holding onto away before removing his foot.
"You… you bastard…" Tyrian shrieked out as he managed to get up, yelling out in pain and rushing at Zi-O with his claws, firing at Zi-O numerous times with his mounted guns before clawing at him.
Zi-O let the bullets hit him, a few small sparks flying but the damage not affecting him. He went and grabbed Tyrian's weapons as the murderous Faunus lunged forward, crushing the guns of the claws before tearing the weapons off of their mounted places.
"You'll pay for that!" Tyrian yelled out in pain as he went to access his Semblance, a purple glow forming at his hands as he went to grab onto Zi-O. To his surprise nothing happened before he winced, the Rider gripping his wrists tightly.
"Fiona mentioned something cutting through her Aura easily on election night," Zi-O said as he kept his grip tightened, "That won't work on my armor."
Tyrian was ready to lift himself up for a dropkick to force Zi-O to let go when his wrist were let go. He gave a cough as he was slammed onto his back, Zi-O kneeing him in the gut and pinning him to the snowy ground.
Zi-O began to yell out as he punched Tyrian repeatedly in the chest and the face with his right fist, using his left hand to hold Tyrian by his shirt and keep him still. Each punch caused a flash of a different person to appear before his eyes. When it was found out that Tyrian was at the party he started doing his research much to the others concern. All of the murdered victims and their profiles he had looked at were flashing before his eyes as he punched Tyrian further and further.
Qrow could only stare in shock at what he was witnessing, the aura that Zi-O was exuding. He was too busy wallowing in his own anger towards Ozpin at the time back when they learned the truth about Zi-O. But the aura Zi-O exuded now was similar to what he saw from what Woz had shown them of Oma Zi-O.
"Hey… hey kid!" Qrow called out in a bit of worry.
"Sougo… Sougo that's enough…" Robyn spoke up as she began to make her way towards where Clover was, "Don't do anything you're going to regret!"
Tyrian could only laugh out as he saw Zi-O become more brutal in his punches. He didn't even mind that his Aura was dropping dangerously low. He gave a light gasp when his Aura shattered but kept chuckling, "Do it… kill me."
"No…" Zi-O shook his head, he was angry but he knew that killing Tyrian would get him nowhere. He stood up, lifting Tyrian up while reeling his fist back, "That's too good for you."
SMACK
With one hard punch to the front of the face, Tyrian fell unconscious as Zi-O dropped him. The Rider then walked over to Qrow before undoing the restraints. He then walked over to Tyrian and used the bolas to restrain him.
Qrow quickly rushed over to Clover, Robyn being nearby already and checking his pulse.
"Good news, his pulse is steady," Robyn said, "I think he went into shock and fell unconscious though."
"But why would he…" Qrow said before having a realization as a flash from the previous timeline occurred, "No…"
"It's one of Zi-O II's abilities," Zi-O said as he walked over, "I can rewind time, but only by a short amount of time. In this case I must have done it in such a rush that the experience was still fresh enough for him to remember, especially with how it happened. Sorry about that…"
"You need to be more careful with something that powerful," Qrow gave a glare before he softened his expression, "But… it's better than the alternative."
"I don't know if he'll ever be on our side… but I refused to let him be another victim to that madman," Zi-O admitted.
"So what do we do now?" Robyn asked.
"You two are coming with me," Zi-O said as he heard the sound of an airship approaching, "Clover will get help soon enough, but we need you two to not be in Atlas custody."
"Sounds good to me," Qrow said as he went to go pick up Harbinger, his hand shook a bit before he gripped the weapon tightly and retracted the blade before holstering it, "I'm not much of a jailbird kind of guy."
"I could say the same," Robyn remarked.
"Let's get going then," Zi-O said as he led the way towards the Time Mazine, the Huntsman and Huntress following after him.
Remnant – Atlas Skyline
Geiz was currently trying to find out where the Winter Maiden could be and unfortunately there didn't seem to be any real sign of her possible location. As such he currently had temporal cloaking on as he sat in the Time Mazine as it hovered above the skyline, trying to find any way to get a lead. Even finding a map of the city to search through didn't give him much to work with since he didn't think they'd have an obvious building for the Winter Maiden.
He gave a frustrated growl as he didn't have much to work on, that was until he heard his Faizphone X ringing. He tapped a few buttons on the holographic console in front of him to answer it via the Time Mazine's internal systems.
"What's up?" Geiz asked.
"It's Weiss, Tsukuyomi had told me you were trying to find out where Winter is," Weiss said in a hurried voice.
"I'm trying to but I've got no luck, do you have a lead?" Geiz asked.
"I know the address, enter that into your scanner and get there now!" Weiss called out as she went to relay the address from when she went to see the Winter Maiden with her sister.
"Understood," Geiz said as he typed in the address, the computer cross referencing it with the map, "I'll get there as fast as I can."
"Thank you," Weiss said before hanging up.
Geiz was silent before he got a ping, the map zooming in on a specific location, "Bingo."
Remnant – Atlas Medical Facility
Inside of Fria's room, Winter and Penny had gotten Fria into one of the pods of Atlas' patented Aura transfer machine. The machine was designed to transfer ones Aura to another, and while many would consider that unethical, Ironwood still advocated for it. Especially if it meant allowing him to decide who got to be the next Maiden.
"I hope it will be painless for her," Winter sighed.
"You said your personal feelings do not matter," Penny reminded as she went through a Scroll.
"They won't change my actions. What I'm committed to," Winter said as she walked over to the pod and looked at Fria, "The power of the Winter Maiden and the Relic must be kept from our enemies. Even if it means she dies. But yes Penny, we must still acknowledge our personal feelings, wrestle with them. It ensures us that we're on the right path. It's what makes us human."
"I think… I think I understand," Penny admitted.
The two suddenly had to keep their balance as a muffled explosion could be heard, followed by another as the room shook further.
"What was that?" Winter asked in a panic before hurrying out of the room and into the hallway that led to it. The red alert lights were flickering on and off as the entirety of the Atlesian Knight guards stationed there were all damaged and broken.
At the end of the hallway was Cinder who gave a smirk, launching a fireball at Winter who quickly ducked back into the room. Cinder casually walked towards the now sealed doorway before using another fireball to blast it open, the attack knocking both Winter and Penny backwards.
"Hmm," Cinder mused as she watched the two of them get up, "Both of Ironwood's puppets, lucky me."
"Cinder," Winter gave a hiss as she stood up and pointed her sword at the Fall Maiden.
"You were responsible for Beacon," Penny said, "For what happened to me."
"It was unfortunately temporary," Cinder held her palm forward as a fireball began to form, aiming it at Penny, "Now step aside or there won't be anything left to salvage this time. What do you think of that?"
"I think…" Penny trailed before gripping her fists tightly, narrowing her eyes as she brought out Floating Array, using her jets to float in the air, "It gives me personal feelings."
Cinder could only smirk at this, even with the two's capabilities she knew that she could outclass them with the Maiden Powers. Of course she was blissfully unaware that there were others closing in that would give her a much harder time than anticipated.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Just what the hell are you?!"
"I can give you the power you need to crush Salem once and for all."
"Why didn't you come back?"
"Cinder… this ends today!"
"They'll answer the call if they know it's for us."
Chapter 80: Advent of the Grimm Queen
Author's Note: And so the shoe drops, in more ways than one. Summer revealed herself after Salem's attempt to demoralize Ruby, the Ace-Ops went down in a different/faster fashion since Team RWBY stopped holding back their Rider equipment, Clover didn't die, Robyn and Qrow are staying out of custody while Tyrian is likely to not get away… also poor Sougo, very much went hard on Tyrian given everything that happened with him.
Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time as we wrap up the V7.